Mt Kinabalu - Day 4

There could have been an earthquake, there could have been a war... but that night, nothing was going to stir me away from slumberland.

Breakfast was provided in the hotel, but we opted to skip that and end this trip - the Sabah way. Norm spoke much about the konlo noodle, that I insisted we look for it. His memory served him well, and we found the shop without too much difficulty.



Charsiu (BBQ pork) was really really good, accompanied with home made noodles in special black sauce.


Yabadabadoo! Slurp it up! ;)



It was nearly noon when we finished our plate of noodles, when the lunch spread came out. We spotted Sabah vegetables (very difficult to get it in Peninsular Malaysia) and decided to order a serving of it. Much to our disappointment, this style of cooking did not suit our tastebuds. Slimy.. :s I'll have this in belacan style, anytime...


By the way, we noted that this place sells all the weird parts of babi..

All filled up, but with time to spare, the gluttony in us decided to go for something sweet to end our last meal in Sabah - banana cake with to-die-for Sabah coffee!


Norm likes the cake celup-ed with coffee.

"Try it", says he.
"But I prefer the coffee just as it is".
"I'm saying that the cake tastes better with the coffee! It's about the cake, not the coffee!"

Blueh... I like the coffee as it is :)



We arrived home, with abundant happy memories and an unforgettable experience..

Mt Kinabalu - Day 3 (Part 2)

After sun has well risen, it didn't take long for us to start our journey down again. Thanks to the cold; otherwise we would have stayed up there way longer.

On the way down, Norm spotted an elderly Japanese lady sketching the scenery before her! Isn't it easier to capture it digitally? :)




Here's one taken of South Peak..



And we passed Donkey's Ears..

I didn't realise how geograpically challenging our hike up was, till the hike down where we could finally 'see' the route.




Panting...


I *still* need slleeeeppp...

We arrived back at Gunting Lagadan before 9am, and packed our things to Laban Rata where hot buffet breakfast spread awaits us. At this point of time, exhaustion kills the appetite but food is a must to continue the continuous hike down to Kinabalu Park. This time, we used the Timpohon route (the shorter one) which took us approximately 4 hours from Laban Rata.


We bade farewell to Laban Rata...


And took one last opportunity to capture the moments above the clouds...

Mt Kinabalu - Day 3 (Part 1)

The plan was "lights out" at 9pm, and wake up at 2am to continue our hike up to catch sunrise at the peak.

Lights out at 9pm?? Mighty difficult, but the veteran advised to take 2 pills of panadol, and you'll be fast in dreamland. His advise has been useful so far, so why not? That night, I slept not more than 30 minutes. No thanks to the constant slamming of the doors at the corridor, and the boisterous voices of inconsiderate guests. I believe that the higher altitude made it difficult too, with some feeling that they were somewhat 'pressed' down on the chest when they lie horizontally on the bed.

Ah well... 2am, hardly felt like I slept, Norm dragged me out of bed. Nice enough to make me feel as comfortable as possible at that God unearthly hour and cooolldd temperature - I very much appreciated a can of milo, albeit it tasted watered down (boo to Nestle) and it being at 'cool' temperature. Forced down muesli bar and a bun down the throat, and we are off, clad with warm warm clothings - beanie, gloves, scarf, jacket. Oh, and not forgetting the torchlight and our camera gears! :p

I have to say, the last few metres up to the peak was a challenge I've never encountered before.

"Sleepy.. I"m so sleepy"

That was the only thing that ran through my mind, and I said it out aloud a few times. Norm could only reply, "Yes, I know". Hahaa..

Having to make stops every few steps, it seemed like eternity to get up to the peak. The air was thin, my breath was laborious. But with the guidance of a gentle, patient and supportive comrade, I finally made it to the peak, barely in time to catch sunrise.




And we spent a good time photographing sunrise.




The photo I shot - see below.


St John's Peak



We have to make the mandatory shot with the 'sign post'.



At Low's Peak - 4095.2m above sea level



Spot the trail of 'ants' at the bottom of the picture - those are people.

Being surrounded by the majestic wonders of nature was truly an overwhelming amazing experience.

Mt Kinabalu - Day 2 (Part 3)

Continuing on the Summit Trail..




I finally see Laban Rata in sight!


A moment of reflection of how the day has unfolded..


(That's sandwich stuffed in his mouth! Beats me what he was thinking.. :p)


Gladfully seek warmth in the only heated place - Laban Rata.

We put up the night at a non-heated accommodation, about 15minutes hike away from Laban Rata, called Gunting Lagadan. Whilst waiting for the rest to arrive at Laban Rata (where all our meals are held), abiding to the veteran's advice, I took the opportunity to take advantage of body heat to steal a shower at Laban Rata. I was banking on the hope that there is still hot water supply when I take a quick rinse, but luck wasn't on my side. Brrrrr... coollldd coolldd water!!

Kitchen closes at 7pm. We arrived there early enough to have an unhurried sunset dinner. At that elevation, sunset was amazing... the sky was saturatedly colourful and we are above the clouds!!




It feels like we are on heaven :) - 14th February 2009.

Mt Kinabalu - Day 2 (Part 2)

And we continued our track to the 4th km...


Norm doesn't look very excited, does he?



At the 4th km... hunger pangs hit.. *badly*. HUNGRY!!




SALIVATING...



The extra 2kg weight - 2 servings of cheese sandwiches, 1 serving of ham sandwich, 2 hard boiled eggs, 2 pcs of popia, fried chicken, a Fuji apple, a can of sprite, and a bottle of H2O.


Replenishing the salts! Yes... 100plus gets the thumbs up. :)

A few others later joined our 'feast'..





Refueled and replenished, we set foot to continue our journey.




The 5th km offers a different scene altogether. Very pretty; fairy garden-like.




Tiring, yes.. but always with a smile. Entranced by the beauty of the surroundings :)




Finally got to the end of Mesilau Trail!

That is about 6km completed. There is another trail up to this juncture via Timpohon trail. Only 4km long but it isn't a very scenic trail. We were quite exhausted by the time we got here, but it was worth the extra time and effort. Truly a scenic hike so far. The weather was very kind to us. Sabah is known of being a wet place, but we have been lucky this time.



And so we are off to continue the Summit Trail.


..which initially looks like this.

2km to where we will camp for the night.. treacherous and steep.


But this view in sight is a strong motivation to propel us forward.